Proof Of Existence
by IlanaNight
Summary: Zack is promoted to First and comes home to an empty apartment... or so he thinks. Angeal/Zack, rated M for smut.


**A/N: Today is my Zack's birthday, so I wrote her some Angeal/Zack smut. With plenty of sads thrown in since we can't be kind to each other for our lives and show our friendship by making each other cry. Anywho, since this is probably the best smut I've written, not that that's saying much, I figured why not share it. Thank you for reading~**

The unthinkable had happened. They had gone out on a rescue mission, they were going to find out what happened to Genesis and then, if possible, bring him back to ShinRa. No one was going to get hurt, no more people would be lost. The base had fallen easily, the mission complete. Zack had been prepared to go home, high hopes of being promoted to First and seeing the pride in his mentor's eyes.

But he hadn't gotten that chance.

Sure, he had been promoted, a grand celebration that even Sephiroth had attended, albeit only for a short time. Zack donned the black uniform of First with pride, promising to honor the commitment it meant. He had shaken Lazard's hand, smiled for the camera, and then turned around to hide his tears from the crowd.

Because the central part of how he had imagined this ceremony wasn't here. There was no Angeal leaning against the wall with a grin, waiting to ruffle his hair as he passed and remind him that, even as a First, he still had much to learn.

Angeal hadn't come back from their mission in Wutai. Zack and Sephiroth had escorted the Director home, awaiting some sort of contact from their friend. But no such thing ever came. Angeal's status went from 'On Mission' to 'MIA', and was soon changed again to 'Assumed KIA'. But the two remaining Firsts couldn't believe that. They knew that Angeal was with Genesis, wherever that may be. He had abandoned them for his oldest friend.

Accepting that fact was hard for Zack. In fact, in the deepest parts of his heart, he refused to believe it. Angeal had been his mentor, closer to him than anyone in SOLDIER. He had been Sephiroth's close friend. And an honourable man wouldn't leave those he held so dear.

Zack walked back to his quarters with a heavy heart, a chill over him that was soul-deep. No amount of congratulatory smiles and gifts could fill the hole ripped out of him. His enthusiasm was what made Angeal notice him in the first place, what earned him the affectionate nickname of 'puppy', but none of that inherent energy was present in him now.

The door closed behind him with the click of an automatic lock, and to Zack that sounded like the locking mechanism of a cage. He had never felt more alone and out of place in his own house. Normally, he would sit down and treat himself to a mug of hot chocolate after such a long day of dealing with company politics, but he wasn't in the mood tonight.

Zack set his sword down against the wall in the hallway, pushing open the door to his room open, prepared to resign himself to another night of dreams in which he chased after an angel with white wings. He didn't quite understand the wings, but he knew that the man was Angeal.

Something caught his eye before he could slip into bed, though. A single ivory feather was set on his pillow, reflecting the little moonlight that filtered in through the curtains. Zack's hand reached for the light switch, flipping it on and checking to ascertain his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. No, there, lying as if it had been there since the beginning of time, was a white feather.

"You're home earlier than I expected. I didn't have time to bake a cake for you." The low voice that came from his left caused him to turn, eyes wide with disbelief.

"...Angeal?" A single word escaped Zack in a broken whisper. There, in the corner of the room, looking for the life of him as if not a single day had passed since they last met, was his mentor.

Angeal's head fell in a single nod and Zack crossed the distance between them, a conflicted expression on his face, "Yes, Zack, it's me. I'm home."

The wall that Zack had kept his emotions behind broke, tears falling from his eyes as the barriers collapsed. Almost reflexively, his hand rose, smacking Angeal across the face. Before the older man had a chance to react, Zack was clinging to him, face pressed into his neck as tears soaked through the fabric of his shirt. Angeal's arms wrapped around Zack in return and he murmured into Zack's hair, not quite forming sentences, just a string of words and phrases meant to comfort him.

A pale wing unfolded from Angeal's back to join his arms where they rested on Zack's back. "Well, I guess that explains the feather. When did Angeal get wings, though?" But Zack couldn't bring himself to voice the question, lest it break the illusion and leave him alone in his room, clutching at thin air.

Slowly, the tears stopped and his breathing leveled out. Zack pulled back slightly to look up at Angeal with red-rimmed eyes. That look on his puppy's face was enough to shatter Angeal's resolve to leave again. Genesis and his plans be damned, he was breaking the boy's heart. One of his hands moved from Zack's back to run through raven locks, a soft smile forming on his face, "I'm sorry, Zack. I did you a terrible wrong in leaving. Could you ever forgive me?"

Zack's mind immediately jumped to a positive answer, but there was a part of him that was still wounded, that still doubted Angeal's presence. "...I could, if you prove it to me that you're really here. Y'know, real physical evidence..." As he said it, his request sounded stupid to even his own ears. He almost expected Angeal to burst out into laughter.

"Physical proof, huh? I think I can manage that, Zack." A low chuckle escaped him, but it was in no way mocking. Angeal gathered Zack up in his arms, carrying him across the room to lay him down on his bed, climbing up after him to straddle Zack's thighs, "But you'll have to participate in this evidence of mine, sound fair?"

Well, this certainly wasn't something his imagination had dreamt up. Sure, he harbored a secret crush on his mentor, and often thought things about him that he shouldn't, but never in his wildest dreams had he considered Angeal returning those feelings at all. Angeal was an unattainable ideal, something he had promised himself he would go after once they were equals. It was one of the reasons he had pushed himself to reach First Class, after his desire to be a hero.

But, hell if he was going to complain. If this was Angeal's way of proving himself, Zack would take it. He refused to let his mind wander past that, merely smiling up at Angeal. "Aren't we a little overdressed for this kind of evidence, Angeal?" As he spoke, his fingers deftly pulled the shirt out of Angeal's waistband, pulling in an attempt to throw it over his shoulders.

"Is this what you wanted, Zack?" Angeal allowed his wing to fade out of existence and helped Zack shuck his shirt off before leaning down to nip his way across Zack's throat, "You know, this uniform looks stunning on you, but I think you can go without it for tonight, don't you?" Zack suddenly found himself in the same state as Angeal, though he couldn't quite recall how his mentor-no, his lover- had managed that while still biting at the junction between his neck and his shoulder.

When Zack attempted to pull himself up and return the favour, Angeal held his hands above his head, keeping him down with a grin on his face, "No, Zack. Tonight, I'm giving you attention. You did get promoted today, you deserve a reward. And I'll let you choose it." He leans down, dropping the volume of his voice to something just above a whisper, "What would you like as your evidence?"

A shiver passed down Zack's spine at the promises and offers in that single question and his mind raced through endless possibilities. But he could only voice one, "You, Angeal. I want everything you can give me."

"Oh, I had so hoped you would say that, Zack." That low chuckle rang out again, and this time Zack could identify the lustful designs behind it. He wasn't given much time to dwell on how he liked that laugh before that same mouth was latched onto the lobe of his ear, pulling and biting.

At some point, Angeal decided that his ear and neck had gotten enough abuse and moved down his chest, running his tongue right down the ridge between Zack's abdominal muscles and dipping it into his navel. This little motion caused Zack to arch his back with a high, keening noise and a gasp of his name.

Angeal paused, his hand on the button of Zack's fatigues, "Are you sure this is what you want, Zack? You can decide on something else." He knew he had already received permission, but he wanted to hear it again, to get a final confirmation.

"Gaia-damnit, Angeal, I have wanted this since you first came in to watch me train, so stop questioning yourself and give me a good, long, physical lecture already." Zack's voice was trembling, his pupils dilated with lust.

"With pleasure, Zack." Angeal swiftly unbuttoned Zack's fatigues, pulling them off slowly and kissing down the flesh of Zack's thighs as it was exposed, "So lovely, puppy. You've grown into a handsome young man." Zack's pants soon joined his shirt somewhere across the room, leaving Zack in just a pair of boxers.

"Eeey, if I'm going to be left like this, then so are you, Angeal. It's only fair, since you're not letting me touch." Zack's voice drifted off into a whine at the amount of attention he was receiving. It seemed that Angeal's knack for caring for people carried into the bedroom.

Angeal shook his head, indulgence mixing with the lust in his eyes as he pulled back to strip out of his pants, "There, better? Now, Zack, you're getting rather impatient, aren't you?" Angeal returned to his position over Zack, pressing his lips to those belonging to the man beneath him. A hand ghosted down Zack's chest, snapping the thin waistband of his boxers as Angeal hummed questioningly.

Zack's thoughts were incoherent at this point, gasping for air through his nose as he kissed Angeal and so he simply nodded, unable to voice a response. That nod was enough for Angeal as he slowly pulled Zack's boxers down, freeing his erection. "Just as enthusiastic as you are, I see." Angeal whispered against Zack's lips before pulling back, reaching to the nightstand and picking up a tube of lubricant Zack hadn't noticed was there before.

"...Did you... know this was coming?" Zack attempted to catch his breath as he leant up on his elbows, watching Angeal slick his fingers and step out of his boxers, licking his lips in response.

Angeal recaptured his lips, a smirk on his face, "Were you enjoying the show, Zack?" His chuckle was muffled into Zack's mouth as the slick hand drifted down to circle Zack's entrance. "Zack, you're going to have to relax, do you think you can do that for me just once?"

As two slick digits slowly slid in and began scissoring apart, Zack gasped. Pinpricks of pain alternated with waves of pleasure as Angeal's fingers came across a spot inside him that made him see stars, "A-ah, Angeaaaal!" Angeal's mouth spread into a wide grin and he stroked the bundle of nerves with a devilish gleam in his eye until Zack was a writing mess beneath him, his name the only word on his puppy's lips.

Angeal slowly removed his fingers, causing Zack to whine at the empty feeling. Angeal carefully positioned himself between Zack's thighs, one hand cupping Zack's face as he kissed him deeply to distract him. As Angeal pushed in past the ring of muscle, Zack's face contorted slightly in pain, but Angeal peppered his face in kisses, whispering softly to calm him. He allowed Zack time to settle to the feeling, waiting for the younger man's okay before he continued.

"Angeaaaal," that soft whine escaped Zack's lips again, and Angeal would be lying to say he didn't love the sound, "Move."

Never one to disobey an order-even if in this case it came from a subordinate- Angeal began to slowly rock into Zack, watching with rapt attention as the discomfort in his face faded to a slack-jawed pleasure. The soft whimpers rapidly turned to gasps and moans from the both of them, with their partner's name or an expletive occasionally thrown in.

Zack's hands came up from where they had been clutching the sheets to claw their way up Angeal's back before twisting into the elder's hair. "A-anng... ca-an't hold much longerr..." A low groan ate his words as Angeal his that spot in him again.

Angeal nodded in agreement, "I...nhnn... feel the same, Zack. You're... gorgeous." He leaned down to whisper in Zack's ear, remember the reaction that had gained him last time, "Just come for me, Zack. Don't hold yourself back." He then quickly moved to bite deeply into Zack's shoulder.

As if Angeal's words were an order in battle, Zack's back arched off the bed and his hands yanked at Angeal's hair as he came with a scream of his mentor-turned-lover's name on his lips. The sight and sound, combined with the feeling of Zack convulsing around him, pushed Angeal over the edge as well, and he growled Zack's name as he too found release.

The pair caught their breath in comfortable silence before Angeal carefully pulled out, gathering Zack to his chest as he laid down beside him. One hand drifted up to stroke raven hair that was now mussed-up beyond repair, "So, was that enough proof of my existence?"

Zack laughed, "I don't know, I may need another lecture in the morning." Angeal joined him, a low chortle escaping him as he kissed the top of Zack's head.

"For you, that can be arranged."


End file.
